3 Quick Tips to Optimize Your Job Hunt

The job search can often be a highly disorganized and unoptimized process, especially if you start it off on the wrong foot. Focusing on leading a smart, organized job search early will enable you to avoid many of the mistakes that your fellow candidates are making, such as sending multiple applications to the same job or forgetting to send a thank you note after an interview.

Beyond keeping your job search organized and tracking your applications, there are a few things you can do to make sure you’re intelligently using your time and running a smart job hunt. Here are some tips to help you get started.

Prepare applications over weekend

Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays aren’t ideal days to apply for jobs. On the other hand, most job applications are sent on Tuesdays. But in reality, the best day of the week to apply is Monday, the one day of the week when the most applications make it to the next round of the hiring process. The problem with Mondays is that they’re also the most lethargic days of the week. You’re just getting off a relaxing weekend and back into the working groove, which makes it tough to dive into your job search, especially when you’re employed and looking.

Instead of hitting apply on the weekend when you have the most free time, find opportunities you like, prepare your application, cater your resume and cover letter, and stop there. Use the weekend to get everything ready and in place so you can hit send on Monday morning. You’ll avoid the trap of applying on days when your application might slip through the cracks, and you’ll have all the work done ahead of time to make the entire process a simple one-click application. This is the best way to take advantage of a day when you’re likely not in the mood to fiddle with your resume and cover letter.

Play the mobile game

The next time you’re on a long commute, you might be tempted to swipe through Tinder, browse Twitter, or play Candy Crush. It’s a simple and effective way to pass the time, but you can be doing something better and more beneficial for your job search. Instead of scrolling through social media, spend the commute searching for new job opportunities.

While the application process on mobile devices still leaves a lot to be desired, that doesn’t mean your smartphone or tablet can’t be useful for your job hunt. Many companies and job boards have decent mobile websites that you can use to discover new openings. Your JobHero dashboard is fully optimized to work in any mobile browser, enabling you to save the jobs you want to apply to later. And if you find a unicorn job that you don’t want to let slip through your fingers, you can access your resume, cover letter, and any other application documents you uploaded to JobHero and start customizing them for the role.

Set up a buddy system

Running your job search alone can be a big, costly mistake. A lot of the errors you might be making, such as poor grammar and spelling in your applications or forgetting to follow up on your applications, can be easily avoided with a buddy system. A job search with someone else on your side is faster and more effective, as you will have a friend or family member to hold you accountable and hold your feet to the fire. You’ll also receive the support you need to avoid mistakes and present the best possible version of yourself.

Find one or two people in your friend or family circles who are either job hunting alongside you or are willing to help you with your search. Set up a group text or chat room where you can ping them for quick help in proofreading your application documents when needed (hint: any document you upload to JobHero can be easily made shareable!). Set up a separate calendar for your job search and give them access. That way, they can keep an eye on it alongside you and remind you when you forget to set a due date or miss a key event. And finally, set goals and check in with your buddies regularly on your progress.

When you’re looking for a job, it’s important to focus on applying regularly, avoiding silly mistakes, and always being in job search mode. This is a lot easier when you take the appropriate steps to lead a hunt that optimizes the way you look for opportunities and put together application documents.